Creating Composite Imagery- MY PROPOSAL

Part B – My proposal for a composite image

Concept

This is a nostalgic type of concept.

In the early 1950s I lived in a flat at Coogee. I lived there for only 3 years but the memories are very strong for that time (from age 6 to 9). Our family had just returned from England where there were still post-war food rations. Back in Australia it seemed like the land of plenty – we could eat eggs for breakfast every morning for instance. But looking back it was a time warp. There were some residents in our flats who did not have a refrigerator (we had a small kerosene one). They had ice boxes and the ice-man delivered ice to them a couple of times a week. He carried huge blacks of ice with a type of scissor pick.

The other thing that has stuck in my mind is that bread was delivered in a horse & cart – a Clydesdale horse.

Target audience

This is really a conceptual piece although is could well be for a brand of bread or bakery.

How does your work relate to the industry in Part A

It was the work of Julia Fullerton-Batton that got me thinking along these lines. Initially I thought I could do it with an ‘Alice-in-Wonderland’ type over large person in the photo. I gave that a try but couldn’t get it to work. So I have moved a bit from that idea. Tom Chamber’s work really appeals and if this concept fails I shall do something like he does.

Elements to be created

1. Background – I have taken that already – of the flats in Coogee. There are a lot of cars & some buildings that need to be hidden plus the TV antennas (no TV in early 1950s)

2. Family photo – Our family at that time was my parents & we three girls – my youngest sister was not born. Getting 1950s clothes will be difficult

3. The Ice truck.

4. The bakery horse & cart

5. A Morris Oxford – that’s the car we had brought back from England – very difficult to buy cars in Australia or overseas in the post war period.

What I have done so far & timetable for completion

1. The background: I took lots of photos and this one with plenty of space on the RHS seems to be the best. It has a good electricity pole in it as well.

2. This is the photo of my parents & two of my sisters taken by me with my Box Browney in 1954. I plan to do a similar photo with me included.

3. I took some photos recently that helped me think where I was going:

4. This is what Ice trucks looked like:

5. The 1950s Morris Oxford looks like this:

6. This is what a bakery horse & cart looks like:

Creating Composite Imagery- RESEARCH

PART A

Photographers or Advertising campagnes

1. Tom Chambers

2. McDonalds

3. Julia Fullerton-Batten

4. Peter Coulson

ANALYSIS OF ELEMENTS USED

1. Tom Chambers

Tom Chambers likes to explore the relationship between nature and people particularly young people as well as animals. His composite work is done meticulously. I love his work. In the first shot is probably 3 elements: the background, the house and the dingy with dog.

The second one is the background, the mountain made small, the boy and the boat (could have been shot together or separately), and the birds.

The third one is more weird. The background is a tunnel – probably made from a stone wall. The grid at the back is added & possibely a bit of ‘mist’ as well. The arms are all shot separately & of course the girl on her knees. The lighting is done well – all back lit.

2. McDonalds

Advertising campaigns of McDonalds are generally clever. They tend to use composite images that make the consumer look twice. Something doesn’t look quite right. The 1^st ad below for Real milkshakes is of a cow on the trampoline. It is 2 or 3 images put together depending on whether the trampoline was in the field or not. The cow was certainly added.

The 2^nd one is several photos: the sign, the model probably holding a tray, the food, the skis and the artificial snow on a sky background.

The 3^rd is a German ad for McDonalds is more complicated. There are at least 3 images there and maybe four. There is the bloke with the newspaper; the ad for Maccas on the back of the newspaper; the image of the bloke eating his Maccas in the newspaper mirroring him behind the newspaper; and maybe even the newspaper itself was separate. Put together it is eye catching and clever. It doesn’t look stupid or too crazy and would certainly make the consumer look twice even if they don’t buy McDonalds.

3. Julia Fullerton-Batten

Julia Fullerton-Batten is a Sydney photographer and has won numerous prestigious awards for her photography. She has exhibited in exhibitions worldwide and has agents selling her work throughout the world. She has taken portraits of many well known people but it is her composite work that is so eye catching. On her website she refers to it as her ‘teenage’ images and her ‘school play’ images.

Julie was born in Germany. It was her growing up in the US and Germany that inspired her Teenage Stories. Her model in the images far outsize the landscape giving it an Alice in Wonderland’ feeling.

The 1^st three of the four images below are not complicated composites. There is generally only two images combined (1^st & 3^rd). The 2^nd one has 3 images combined. She has just shrunk the backgrounds (or made her girls much bigger 7 combined them. She has added a few shadows to make the girls stick to the ground.

4. Peter Coulson – he is a Victoria based photographer who specilises in beautiful fashion that is a bit outrageous. Most of Peter’s work is done in the studio but he does from time to time do composite images. He will take a perfect photograph in the studio & drop it into an interesting background. These two images below were for an underclothes company.

In the first image Peter’s client thought that peter could go into the museum with all his gear & set up to take the photograph with the model. He explained to his client that it would not be possible as he had 2 generators plus all his lights & cameras. Nevertheless she asked the owner if it was possible & was surprised to get the knock back. Then Peter went & asked the owner if he just take some photos inside & he said he would give the owner some prints. That was OK. So it is a composite.

The 2^nd one is also a composite. He took the flag blowing in the wind; rephotographed the photograph to get texture. He took the photo of the model separately on a dark background which he turned black & dropped her in – he put a screen bland. The hair was perfect.

REFERENCES

NOTE: Each of the images is referenced under the photo.

McDonalds: The design inspiration; http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://thedesigninspiration.com

/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/mcdonald/McDonald-Ads-32.jpg&imgrefurl=http:

//thedesigninspiration.com/articles/40-clever-advertising-campaigns-of-

mcdonalds/&usg=__TWvRgkhX9Wzgc7oV7LVhK8e4wRg=&h=350&w=552&sz=53&hl=en&start

=5&tbnid=2IO6hKbE9pkzWM:&tbnh=84&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dadvertising%2B

campaigns%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D894%26bih%3D708%26tbs%3Disch:

10%2C9330%2C933&um=1&itbs=1&biw=894&bih=708

http://www.canon.com.au/en-au/About-Canon/News-Events/Events/Peter-Coulson

Artificial Elements - FOG

Step 1 : Hue/sat adjustment layer

Step 2: desat to -100; Lightness to +100 (get a white image)

Step 3: Press D (to set default colours)

Step 4: Press G - for the gradient tool (linear gradient

Step 5: Click on layer mask thumbnail to get mask

Step 6: drag gradient across image to get white at top & nothing at bottom.

Step 7: paint back (or erace) on mask thumbnail to get areas to front of image without or with less white.

Step 8: New background layer called Mist

Step 9: Select area in middle of canvas (feather ~30)

Step 10: select Filters>Render > Clouds; then Command D to deselect.

Step 11:Select 'Blending options' in layers pallet (ie top RH corner of layers window) & do as follows. Can split triangle by holding alt + click on it:

Step 12: mask unwanted mist.

Artificial Elements - RAIN

PART 1

Step 1: 1st make a rain droplet: Open a new document - 200px x 400px (I think 72 res?)

Step 2: Put background black

Step 3: put a single dot on LHS of image

Step 4: Filter>Stylise > Wind

Repeat 5 times

Step 5: Filter > Blur > Motion blur (angle 0; dist 25 pix)

Step 6; Rotate to about 70° - see images below:

Step 7:

Select, go Edit > define Brush presect ....now we have a raindrop brush

PART 2

Step 1: Open image & make new layer above it

Step 2: Go filter > Render > Clouds

Step 3: Filter > Noise > Add Noise (note set at 400, gaussian; monochromatic). Some tutorials say 60 but this must be for 72 res) - 400 was good.

Step 4: Motion blur ( needs to be ~150)

Step 5: Blend made to Vivid light; opacity 30%

EXPERIMENT with noise & blur.

Step 6: Darken the image with levels ( pull dark side LHS over about 1/8th).

PART 3

Step 1 : Go to brush tool (F5 or it is in Window>window)

Step 2 : select shape Dynamics in brush palette

Step 3: do midground rain

Step 4: In brush presets tab, change the master diameter of brush (eg to 90) In Shape dynamics, change the size jitter to 50% & angle jitter to 1% (I think it may be 70° in my case??). Change scatter to 1000.

Step 5 : Brush as desired.

Step 6: Change layer opacite to ~ 40

Step 7: Background rain:

Size jitter - 100%

Angle jitter - 1% ( I think 70°)

Scatter 1000%

Brush as desired.